Policy Considerations of Open-Source Intelligence: A Study of Bellingcat's Online Investigation Patterns (2014-2024)

With the proliferation of social media and digital information tools, more and more internet users can participate in intelligence collection through open-source investigations – an area previously reserved for government agencies with access to classified information. The availability and easy access to open-source information, however, has raised some policy and ethical issues over time. Arguments were expressed in the literature, according to which, some of the most popular open-source investigation platforms collect and use information sometimes at the expense of the safety of users who posted the information online, unaware of how it was going to be utilized. Therefore, this study seeks to explore the elements of open-source investigations by one of the most popular open-source investigation platforms – Bellingcat. Specifically, the following variables are considered in the compiled dataset: year of the investigation, issue it focuses on, whether any pictures/videos are mentioned, and which is the primary source of information for the investigation. The results from our analysis are discussed and policy implications are provided. This study’s findings help to better understand the context of open-source investigations and their impact on intelligence agencies and the safety of users.